If you’ve been watching Grey’s Anatomy during Season 11, you should know that there has been trouble in paradise for one of the doctors on the hospital-based show. A few month ago, Dr. Derek Shepherd took a position in Washington D.C., a job that kept him far away from his family and home. Now, on-set behavior may make that absence far more permanent.

Reports today indicate that Shonda Rhimes and Patrick Dempsey have not gotten along on the set of Grey’s Anatomy for some time. The news comes from Page Six, which actually describes the actor playing McDreamy as a “diva,” and submits that Dempsey’s character moved to D.C. on the show after getting “suspended” by showrunner Rhimes. This behind-the-scenes drama should be taken with a grain of salt, but it wouldn’t be the first time the showrunner has had trouble with an actor on the set of the long-running series.

All of this potential behind-the-scenes drama gets even more steamy and convoluted, thanks to a plotline teased during last week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy. The preview features Derek coming up on a car accident on the road and jumping out of his own car to attempt to save the individuals inside. At one point, the car catches fire and a huge explosion occurs. Grey’s Anatomy has never shied away from killing characters in big accidents, and it looks like that might be the direction that Grey’s Anatomy is headed in. In fact, the preview states that next week’s episode will be the one “America will never forget.”

Dempsey himself has spoken out about how he will be leaving the series “very soon,” despite the fact he signed a contract that would see him through next season. The actor has made several comments about wanting to leave the popular ABC series over the years. Before, those comments never amounted to much, but now that Derek has been mostly absent on the series since the show returned at midseason and Meredith has even purposefully skipped a trip to visit her partner, Dempsey's comments seem like they hold more weight.

We’ll have to wait until this Thursday to find out whether or not Derek lives through the car accident ordeal or is killed off in the chilling episode. Regardless, it seems quite possible that Dempsey’s days on Grey’s Anatomy may be ending sooner rather than later. We’ll let you know when more details about Patrick Dempsey’s future career path emerge.